Bike paths and lanes are integral parts of the bicycle transportation network,
and these reports are provided to encourage their use by bicyclists who
might otherwise not venture out in the snow, and to encourage their proper
maintenance (which includes snow plowing) by the responsible agencies
given in bold type below. If they are not plowed while the snow
is still soft, paths with significant foot traffic become unskiable
within a day, and remain a mess for everyone until the ice melts.

As I crossed the MassPike headed north this morning, I saw the first snow
flakes, and by the time I got to the top of Observatory Hill in Cambridge,
it was snowing quite steadily, which it did until early evening. I don't
think that the conditions that I saw Thursday morning will change drastically,
so they are noted under this storm instead of Saturday's. We got more
snow on Wednesday, which turned to rain, so it's hard to say how much fell.
Whatever fell was dusted by an evening return to snow.

An interesting exchange of letters with the Massachusetts Department of
Conservation and Recreation, which plows (or doesn't plow) the Charles
River and Southwest Corridor paths was
published by the Universal Hub on Sunday. There are no surprises: the
DCR has always said that bike paths are a low priority, and I have felt like
a voice crying in a white wilderness. I think that we're approaching a critical
mass of winter riders, and might be able to start mustering the political
clout to get their policy changed. We have to realize that path clearing
is not just for cyclists; runners, dog-walkers, kids walking to school,
and people who simply want to take a constitutional in snowy weather without
walking through deep snow on unshovelled sidewalks use the paths, too.
To minimize ice formation, the paths *have* to be plowed during storms
like the City of Boston and Town of Brookline do on their admittedly
shorter paths. We had hoped that with the loss of responsibility for
plowing many of their parkways to the Department of Transportation/Highways,
personnel and equipment would be freed to do a better job of plowing the
paths. That has not happened, and it it way past time that it does!

Arnold Arboretum1.5 miles of park roads which are mostly closed to automobile traffic
with no intersectionsBoston Parks and Harvard University

Laura Smeaton reported on Thursday:
Peter's Hill in the Arboretum was also not plowed to the pavement,
but there was a truck working on the section closest to the lower
Bussey/South Street entrance.

Blackwell FootpathA half-mile gravel path connecting the Forest Hills MBTA station and the
South St. Arboretum entranceBoston Parks and Harvard University

Laura Smeaton (who I now point to to show that I'm not really *that* hard-core)
reports on Thursday: The hardest part of my ride was actually the Blackwell
Footpath through the Arboretum. It was fun 'snow biking' on the downhill, but
I kept spinning out going up hill, and did not feel like bleeding out my tires
given needing to ride on pavement later.

Roslindale Bike LanesTwo miles of bike lanes on both sides of Washington St. from Forest Hills
to Roslindale Square and to West Roxbury on Belgrade Ave. and buffered and
wide bike lanes along American Legion HighwayBoston Public Works Department

After all of the snow, the lanes are pretty much blocked where they are
next to parked cars, though they were clear next to the curb by Friday.
The buffered bike lanes on the American Legion
Highway were about half clear on Sunday, but the buffers mean there is
plenty of space for biking out of the travel lane. Centre St. bike
lanes look pretty clear.

Centre St. and VFW Parkway Bike LanesDCR, plowed by MassDOT

On Wednesday morning, at least half of the width of the VFW Parkway lanes
was clear, with plenty of width for biking.
Cntre St. from Arboretum to VW not checked yet.

Arborway "Bike Lanes"1 mile of wide paved shoulder which is unmarked but usually clear of
parked cars during rush hourDepartment of Conservation and Recreation

Eastbound, at least, looked pretty clear. The parallel sidewalk is bare
pavement, except near the Forest Hills entrance, where it is a sheet of ice.

Morton St. Buffered Bike LanesCemetery Rd. to Harvard St.MassDOT

I checked these from my car on Monday night, and they were plowed about the
same as the American Legion buffered lanes.

Franklin Park RoadsMuch of the park loop road is closed to motorized traffic
and there are bike lanes on the main road.Boston Parks and Public Works Departments

Not checked yet.

Centre/South Bike LanesA mile of bike lanes through the heart of Jamaica Plain from Jackson
Square and the Southwest Corridor to Forest HillsBoston Public Works Department

By Friday night, it was clear to its full width, at least between
Willow Pond and Eliot St.
By Thursday night, there was lots of clear pavement, but there were
also a few long icy stretches. There is a bit too much snow around
intersections.
Plowed to packed powder by Tuesday night.

Perkins St. Bike Lanes1.5 miles of mostly bike/ped-separated paths paralleling
a busy 4-lane parkway; two intersections with traffic lightsDepartment of Conservation and Recreation

Westbound plowed to more than half their width, eastbound mostly covered with snow.

Olmsted Park Paths3/4-mile of mostly bike/ped-separated paths built over Riverdale Road,
across Leverett Pond from the Jamaicaway.Brookline Park Department

Clear on Friday night, with only a few patches of slush.
Quite a bit of bare pavement on Thursday night, but slushy, too.
By Wednesday night, there was some clear pavement covered by puddles and still
quite a bit of ice.
Plowed to packed powder by Tuesday night.

By Friday night, there were fewer icy patches and almost no slush.
Thursday night, it was mosly clear, with a few unavoidable icy patches.
Wednesday night, there was more bare pavement, but still long icy stretches.
Packed snow and icy patches with occasional bare pavement on Tuesday morning.
Probably the same on Wednesday with few bare patches.

Charles River BikepathsNarrow, shared bike-ped path with few intersectionsDepartment of Conservation and Recreation

By Friday night, it was mostly wet pavement from Hawthorn to the BU Bridge,
with quite a few sizable puddles and a few patches of icy slush, lots easier
to ride than Friday morning.
By Thursday night, there were a number of patches of bare pavement,
but don't be fooled: it really is more pleasant to use streets.
A day of sun and warm weather might clear it off, though.
The Cambridge side looked like a plow had run over it since
Tuesday's snow, but on Wednesday night it was a challenge to
ride when I broke my vow (below) and rode it from Harvard Square
to the Cottage Farm Pumping Station. While there was occasional
bare pavement, especially at the Harvard end, it was like biking
through ice cream. I baled to the ramp to the B.U. Bridge when
the slushy uphill approach to the B.U. Bridge appeared.
On Wednesday morning, AAron Pik reported
The Cambridge Bank of the Charles River path was passable on my 32mm CX
tires, but not especially pleasant. It was plowed down to a similar level
as a few storms ago, but the softer snow didn't pack down as evenly and
it was pretty bumpy. While not unsafe, it wasn't pleasant. Maybe on a
bike with suspension or fatter tires.On Tuesday:
Icy from the remnants of the last storm and late plowing.
I'm not using the path for the rest of the week, unless I
see that the warm weather melts this snow, which will take
a while because it's so icy.

J.F.K. ParkWide, shared bike-ped path from river to Harvard SquareDepartment of Conservation and Recreation

Plowed to packed powder by Tuesday night, a bit icier on Wednesday night,
and slushy on Thursday night.

On Friday morning, it was pretty clear from Forest Hills to Ruggles, with a bit of
ice around intersections, but not really anywhere else. There were a few sizable
puddles, too. There was a Bobcat clearing intersections.
Laura Smeaton reported on Thursday:
I rode section between FH & Ruggles on SWC yesterday (Feb. 19) --using wide, studded tires.
While riding in in the late am , I met workers in orange shirts chipping away by hand on the
short, steep section near English High, and just up path, met a BobCat , who kindly pulled
aside to let me pass. I was impressed by the bustle of activity to help clear the path,
and so gave a 'thank you' shout out, big smile, and a nice wave to both groups.
That being said, there were quite a few sections with a lot of snow/ice, but I found
those sections very easy to negotiate using my fat, studded tires. The ride home in
the evening was *much* harder, as the uncleared areas had turned to slush, and I had
to be very careful not to slide out. Seems like the worst section for this wobbly
slush was between Roxbury Xcing and Stony Brook. I don't think my studs made any
difference in the slush, but do think that width of those bike tires likely helped.
Therefore, while I would appreciate the paths to be as clear as possible, I would
also encourage cyclists to use tools at their disposal (wider tires, cyclocross
mud tires, or studded tires) and riding skills useful for icy conditions.

South Bay Harbor TrailBike/Ped path from the Federal Court House up Fort Point Channel
to the Southwest CorridorCity of Boston

Somerville Community PathWide rail trail from Davis Square to Cedar St.City of Somerville

Not checked, but probably plowed.

Red Line Linear Park PathAlewife MBTA station to Davis Square over Red LineCity of CambridgeCity of Somerville

Peter Davis reported on Thursday morning:
Linear Park, from Alewife to Davis Sq, is mostly clear, but with
patches of slush and frozen slush, some of them quite deep.

Danehy Park PathsCity of Cambridge

Not checked, but probably plowed

Cambridge Bike LanesStriped lanes of varying widths on major and connecting streetsCity of Cambridge

Wherever there is parking, the lanes are gone, and they're disappearing
everywhere else under plowed snow.
Aaron Pik reported on Thursday:
The Brattle Street path from rte 16 to Hawthorn was its usual self,
sometimes in a snowbank, sometimes under a car.

Vassar St. Cycle TrackBuffered bike lanes from Main St. to Memorial Drive (almost)City of Cambridge

Alewife Parkway Bridge SidewalkConnection from Minuteman Bikepath to Fresh Pond and beyondDepartment of Conservation and Recreation

Not checked yet.

Minuteman "Commuter Bikeway"

Towns of Cambridge, Arlington, Lexington, and Bedford

Bruce Kulik reported on Thursday afternoon:
I finally got to get back out on my bike this morning 9a-10a
I rode the trail from Mill Street in Arlington to Maple Street
in Lexington, and then again from Bedford Street in Lexington
to Wiggins Avenue in Bedford. Otherwise, I was on Massachusetts
Avenue, Bedford Street, Wiggins Avenue, and Great Road.
From Mill Street to the Lexington Line there was a mix of wet
pavement and a small layer of crusty ice. Approximately 50% clear.
Crusty ice was melting and did not pose any difficulty.
Lexington Line to Maple Street. Almost entirely covered with either
hard ice or crusty hardpack. Rough surface in many places with
tire ruts that will divert your wheel. Uncomfortable and tense
riding. I bailed out at Maple Street. Maple Street ramp poorly cleared.
NOTE TO PLOWING ORGANIZATIONS: It does no good to plow the main
trail if you can't get to it because the access points are inaccessible.
The Maple Street ramp should be plowed when the trail is plowed. I had
not noticed this previously as I do not use the Maple Street ramp regularly.
Massachusetts Avenue and all other streets that I traversed were totally
clear but damp. Some areas had melt runoff in the gutters.
Bedford Street to Wiggins Avenue. Hardpack cover with some ruts and bumps.
Passable but slightly uncomfortable. I could only go about 10 mph whereas
on the the roads I could go almost 15. Rt 128 bridge covered in about
an inch of softpack, use greater caution there.
Melting today will probably clear up the Arlington sections. It will
probably take a few more days of above freezing temperature for the Lexington
and Bedford sections, maybe by Monday.
Peter Davis reported on Thursday morning:
As of about 8:30 this morning, the Minuteman Bikeway through Arlington
(from Bow St. in the Heights to Lake St.) was mostly covered with about
1/2 inch or more of frozen slush. Some of it is thicker, and some of it
is deeply rutted. Be careful. Studded tires definitely recommended.
From Lake St. to Alewife is mostly clear, due to heavy salting.

These paths aren't plowed because they get relatively little transportation
use and because they are used by cross-country skiers like me. There
are marked narrow bike lanes on Enneking Parkway through the
reservation which are probably clear.

Former Metropolitan State Hospital
Belmont, Walthampaved bikepaths
Mass. Department of Conservation and Recreation

Not checked yet.

Assabet River Rail Trail
Hudson and Marlborough, so far
Town of Hudson, City of Marlborough
(so far)

Not checked, but probably not plowed.

Northampton BikewayEast-west across the City of NorthamptonCity of Northampton

Craig Della Penna, who lives next to the path, has reported that
it is the intention of the DPW to make it passable ASAP after a storm.
If the storm is significant, then they plow it repeatedly --sometimes
10-12 times during the course of the storm to ensure its usability.

Norwottuck Rail TrailNorthampton to AmherstDepartment of Conservation and Recreation